Will a car amp work on a home stereo?
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page| Thread | Last Poster | Posts | Last Post | |
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| Archive through October 23, 2004 | awolfeman | 100 | ||
| Archive through February 09, 2004 | Fuk-Nut | 100 |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 307 Registered: Jun-04 | Put a volt meter (analog one works best not digital they are too slow) on the power wires on the amp and see if its actualy getting good power even during the time that it has a problem. The other thing to try is if you have a 1/8" headphone to RCA adaptor, use a portable cd player or walkman to test the amp (they offer good line-in/volume control). |
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New member Username: Brandon237Post Number: 1 Registered: Oct-04 | hey i have a 1200watt legacy car amp and i am wondering how to hook it up to my house amp and if there is a way if any one could tell me how what goes where it would be much appriciated thanks |
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awolfeman Unregistered guest | Yeah, I checked the voltage with nothing attached...it has just over 10 volts... No wonder its going into protection. Why would it be that low? Im using 6 power supplies, all but one of which are identical. Thank you again FryGuy for the help. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 308 Registered: Jun-04 | Let me guess that they are old AT power supplies? If that's the case some (most) needed a +5 volt load before they provide the full voltage and current to the +12 volt rail. Why they made it like this is not known to me. I got very lucky that my older AT power supplies didn't require a +5 volt load first. This is why that I would only recommend that people use a newer ATX power supply because of that problem. |
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New member Username: MyleftnutPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-04 | i have a few AT power supplies that i cant get started.. i connect the 5v to the green wire (ps-on) i get no responce. i dont get it.. it has done this with 3 PSes.. please help |
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awolfeman Unregistered guest | They are ATX power supplies actually. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 309 Registered: Jun-04 | For one you tie the PS-ON to the ground to turn the PSU on. Secondly an old AT PSU may need to have a partially loaded +5 volt rail to get proper regulation on the +12 volt rail. What I'm saying is that even if you get the AT PSU running, you still may not be able to use it depending on how the PSU was designed. You'll have to try it and if you got one that needs to have the +5 volt rail partially loaded you'll find that the +12 is only reading +8 to 10 volts. (NOTE: some old AT power supplies don't have protection circuitry and will fry if turned on with no load). Because of these problems I only recommend using an newer ATX PSU for this use. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 311 Registered: Jun-04 | I should have known it was an ATX when you asked how to turn it on with the PS-ON, only ATX have the PS-ON wire. |
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New member Username: MyleftnutPost Number: 3 Registered: Oct-04 | oh okay, well there do i get the 5v? from some other source, or the same one? because i have tried both and the fan only jerks but doesnt spin. fyi: i am hooking the green wire to the red wire which says is +5v. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 312 Registered: Jun-04 | It is tied to the ground to turn it on not to the +5v rail. |
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New member Username: MyleftnutPost Number: 4 Registered: Oct-04 | i have tried that, maybe the PS is messed up, but thanks much anyways Fry. any help is greatly appreciated |
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Unregistered guest | it is possible to hook up a car amp in your house hold take an adepter and cut off the tip splice so you have to wires and wire to the amp and a peice of wire for a ground so so fring your amp i did this at my friends house to his two 12's with an 800 watt amp and they pound like they did in the car but he crashed it. it will work!!! |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1747 Registered: Dec-03 | NO DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE WHO SAYS TO USE A WALLADAPTER WITH THE ENDS CUTTOFF! any descent car amp will fry the wall flug and can cause a fire! get a real power supply or don't even do it at all! |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 322 Registered: Jun-04 | WTF is he talking about? You most certainly can't use a wall adapter to push that kind of power that's needed for an amp. Your user name is cute but it should be "16 and have no clue what I'm talking about". The posts above and in the archive have covered just about everything. Please read the posts and learn before posting or you'll get flamed to a slow humiliating death (Its happened to us all before). |
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CarGuy Unregistered guest | People, I have used a car amp to power my sub. It works great as long as you can supply enough power to the amp. I find it cheaper than buying a powered sub for $600 at a stereo store. Just remember anything's possible as long as you know what you're doing! Ha ha... |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1753 Registered: Dec-03 | carguy your absolutly right it's an amp just like any other amp. but you have to use a correct power supply not a wallplug! |
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Warlord Unregistered guest | If already posted... sorry, but about using a car bat in a house... it works, but not very good, this is what i am using right now, a cat bat with a 25 amp charger, say your car amplifier pulls 50 amps on a bass hit, the charger will give in its ~20-25 amps, and the bat will substitute the rest... cheap easy way to get car amp in house.. DOES NOT WORK WELL WITH VERY HIGH POWERED AMPS... try and stay under the 600 watt RMS range (around 50 amps 12VDC) PROBLEM WITH THIS IS... -batterie chargers are unstable and cause buzzing (to get rid of buzzing, take a wire and hook it to the ground terminal or your amp, and put it into the GROUND socket on a house plug... NOTE!!!! IF U DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING DONT TRY THIS!!!) -In your car, the batterie is running off the alternator, wich produces around 14 volts. A batterie on a charger will give out anywhere from 11 to 13 volts, most amps are rated for about 16 volts max, more volts you hammer in there, more the maximum output wattage will be affected, example, a 300 watt RMS amp on 12 volts will give out around 230 to 250 watts, on 14 volts, it will give out around 270-290 watts -to control the volume of the amplifier, you will need to also run a car deck with it, OR if you have mixer borad with RCA outputs and inputs(my curent setup), either will work BEST WAY TO POWER A CAR AMP IN HOUSE... this will cost you some money, but if your one of those guys who dosnt want anythign elss but a car amp... here goes find out house many amps your amplifier needs at maximum output, go to your local AC/DC shop and tell them you need a <###> amp at 14.5 VDC power suply. this will give you the best performance out of your amp. prices... looking to power a small amp ( under 250 watts RMS) simply buy a computer power suply and wire the yellow 12 volt and black ground to you amp. to get it to turn on, find the big rectangle looking plug, take a small wire and put one end into the gree socket, and the other end into the black socket, this fools it to tunr on, thinking its running a computer. your average computer power suply that will give out 25 amps 12VDC is around 100$CAD 36 amp 14VDC power suply from AC/DC shop - 350$ 100 amp 14VDC power suply from AC/DC shop - 900$ hope this helps some people. - |
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Unregistered guest | So if i buy a PC power supply rated at: - 1 x 12V at 20A versus a PC power supply rated as having - 2 x 12V at 10A They would be the same so long as i run them parallel to my amp (rated at 20A max). Thanks in advance!! |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1777 Registered: Dec-03 | Ken I'm not positive but I don't believe it would double for 20amp. I think it will just give you two lines that share the same 10a 12 volt source! |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 331 Registered: Jun-04 | You need separate power supplies for that to work. Paralleling doubles the current while keeping the voltage the same, same idea as paralleling batteries to get longer run time. When you hook in series you double the voltage and the current stays the same. |
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Unregistered guest | Well for one of the PS, it stated that there are two 12V rails, both are 10A each. So again does that equal one 12V rail (at 20A)? I'm guessing it doesnt. If not, how would I go about getting 20A if the only PS's I have are less than that. Thanks again guys!!  |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 332 Registered: Jun-04 | If it states that it has two distantly different +12 volt rails then yes it will be 20 amps if you parallel them together. I haven't seen a regular run-of-the-mill PSU have two separate +12 volt rails. Is it a server PSU? |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1779 Registered: Dec-03 | like fryguy said if you have 2 power supplies that are 10a each then you use 2 power supplies with the + wires from the 2 tied together then the - 2 tied together will give you 20a at 12 volts. |
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Ken Solo Unregistered guest | Well here is the link to a ps i can get for $71cdn+gst [Link Removed] it shows two independant 12v rails. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 333 Registered: Jun-04 | Nice, I can't say i have ever seen one advertised before. Now I have. |
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Bronze Member Username: RomesazOntario Canada Post Number: 18 Registered: Oct-04 | But then again thats not your regular run of the mill PSU. I would have assumed regular-run-of-the-mill PSU to imply the crappy lil stock PSUs you get with the purchase of a crappy case. Just my two cents. |
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Unregistered guest | I have a Power Acoustik Gothic OV2-1600 2 Channel Amplifier (Bridged Watts: 1600 x 2 - Bass Boost - 97 db Signal to Noise Ratio) and a Rockford Fosgate Power HX2 | RFR3110 10 Dual 2-Ohm Voice Coil Subwoofer (2000W peak). What power supply must I buy for these to hook them up to a home receiver? 12V 3A or 12V 10A or what? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 359 Registered: Jun-04 | The easy way to tell is to look at the fuse rating on the amp itself. I can tell you it WILL be a hell of alot more then 10 amps! It should be an 80 amp fuse if my guess is close. |
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Unregistered guest | well i was woundering the same on the sub in my room if i would be able to use a car amp to push it i didnt no if you could rig it up n e way so it would work thanks |
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Unregistered guest | well i was woundering the same on the sub in my room if i would be able to use a car amp to push it i didnt no if you could rig it up n e way so it would work thanks |
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JoeyKidd Unregistered guest | Fry Guy, if I put a 40 Amp power supply on it, will it still sound ok? The fuse rating is N/A on this amp. |
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JoeyKidd Unregistered guest | Or will it sound ok if I use a 600W computer power supply? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 363 Registered: Jun-04 | You will need 80 amps at 12 volt total for the power supply if its an 1600 watt amp. If not it will cut out when you turn it up. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 364 Registered: Jun-04 | A car amp will work fine with a house hold sub woofer but remember that if the amp is 100 watts that its 100 watts at 4 ohms so at 8 ohms (the normal house hold speaker is 8 ohms some are 16, 6 or 4 ohm also) its only 50 watts to the speaker. So you can power two house 8 ohm subs on a car amp paralleled with no problems. |
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Electronics Unregistered guest | Im tryin 2 hook up my Alpine 300/watt car Amp and sub to my house... at the point i dont have alot of money 2 put into it... Would it be easier to use a car battey/Charger.. or a PC Power Supply???..And if i use the power supply.. do i hook 1 yellow to 12volts and one 2 the Remote? And the black to the ground on the back of the Amp? and then plug the Power Supply into the wall? help? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 383 Registered: Jun-04 | Forget using a battery and charger. Reasons: It's not as safe. Acid to spill and cause damage Heavy and bulky In efficient energy conversion Batteries need replacement and are expensive A large battery charger is expensive and heavy All the basic instructions are in my document above in this posting. The remote terminal on the amp is what turns the amp on. So even if you have the power to it you need the +12 volts to the remote (REM) terminal for the amp to be turned on. (If you had an amp before I'm sure you know that) The amp is most likely to be wired so its negative ground so the ground or black wire on the power supplies go to the negative or ground on the amp. (As for mostly all (99.9%) car electrical systems today) If you have no money I can see why this would be appealing to you for a cheep alternative to a stereo system. But if you have no electrical experience and can not figure out the diagrams (I have in the document above in this forum) that I have made then this simple ATX PSU mod is NOT for you. (Save your money and get a real stereo, and/or gain the electrical knowledge and experience needed to do this mod) This is because if you don't have the proper electrical knowledge you CAN damage your gear or cause a risk of shock or fire. |
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just a person who needs advice Unregistered guest | ok i want to power a amp 2x100 watts can i use a computer power suppl that at +12v 14 amps |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 395 Registered: Jun-04 | That will be cutting it close for 200 watts if that's the RMS rating of the AMP. I would give it a try the worse thing it can do is cut-out when you turn up the volume. This is because of over current from the AMP trying to draw more current then the PSU can supply when the volume is turned up. |
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just a person who needs advice Unregistered guest | how would i wire 2 up to it |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 398 Registered: Jun-04 | Link is above to my document on how its done. And here if it works. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/Using_an_ATX_computer_power_supply_to_ make_a_scalable_multipurpose_power_supply-75902.doc |
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just a person who needs advice Unregistered guest | wich is better to use the BOUNCE-LESS or the alternitive method for powering it on |
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advice please Unregistered guest | <marquee>hey</marquee> on a car sterio is there inputs for other sources |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 434 Registered: Jun-04 | The bounceless switch will be removed from the document as its not needed with the ATX spec now. A simple switch will work for remote turn on of the power supply. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 435 Registered: Jun-04 | advice please, depends on the head unit you have and what your using. You can use a mixer to use any input source to your amp (as long as you don't have speakers on the head unit). |
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New member Username: JermdogPost Number: 9 Registered: Dec-04 | To all of youwanting to hook up your car audio equipment at home... I did this stuff in the late 80's. Go get yourself a good power supply from a reputable manufaturer. Check out partsexpress.com. You will need something that is capable of delivering a good amount of current for a car amp. To Steve-O: Your calculations on impedence are only half right. Series wiring does double the impedence in ohms. Parallel wiring does not halve the impedence as you suggest. Use the following formula for parallel wiring: 1/R(total resistance)= (1/R1)+ (1/R2)+(1/R3) etc... for the number of speakers. 1/4 + 1/8 convert to decimals .25 + .125 = .375 1/.375 = 2.67 ohms If you were to use your method, this would equal 6 ohms. The only time you can halve the impedence is when you are using two speakers wired in parallel that have the same resistance. There are tons of impedence calculators available for anyone to use. Check out ohms law, and you'll find out most answers to most questions about car audio, voltage, current (amps) and resistance (impedence - ohms). |
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weedy22 Unregistered guest | I have been trying to hook up a Jensen amp using a computer power supply. I followed FryGuy's document and everything works for about 2 seconds and then shuts off. Does anyone know what may be wrong? Here is the power supply I have. [Link Removed] A Jensen LXA 300 watts w/25 amp fuse |
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weedy22 Unregistered guest | The computer PS runs fine until I connect one 12v wire to the REM on the amp? Then the PS shuts off. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 438 Registered: Jun-04 | Try another load like an standard 100 watt bulb (it will only glow). I suspect a wiring problem on the amp but its hard to say for sure what's going on. If you have a volt-ohm meter that would help to trouble shoot what's going on. |
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weedy22 Unregistered guest | It doesn't light up a bulb, but it does turn a cooling fan. I tried to use a volt meter like you suggested but it shorts out the power supply when connected. Any more suggestions would be appreciated. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 442 Registered: Jun-04 | Send me some pictures if possible, something is seriously wrong. |
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New member Username: Johnny_budgerPost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-04 | hey fry guy,if posible would u pleas tell me if thes one ideal that i just thought of would work to work a car amp to a home theather system. hers the ideal, to use a car batery and, use the positive side of the batery to connect to the amp positive, and the negative side of the batery to connect to the batery to the amp ground. then to short the amp remote with the positive feed. so wut do u think? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 447 Registered: Jun-04 | Depends on what your purpose is for it. For a short term test its fine but for any duration or long term use it has serious problems. A switch mode power supply is the way to go for long term use. Lower cost to maintain (no battery to replace or top up with water), light weight, more efficient power conversion (less wasted energy as heat), no dangerous acid to spill or dangerous sulphur and hydrogen gas to explode or cause a bad odour in your room. A battery and a charger will not be cheaper to run. Also the cost won't be any cheaper (unless you don't need to buy the battery and charger). |
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TheMattMan Unregistered guest | Hey i am completely lost when it comes to speakers. i was looking for some subwoofers to hook into my stereo.(its just a cheap 70 dollar system) and i found some really good speakers for a steal. but there car audio subs. they cost about $100 for a 1200w sub instead of $250 for a 200w home theater sub. i was wondering if it is possible or practical to get those speakers and posibly a car amp. or if i would need to upgrade my system just to be able to hook every thing up. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 452 Registered: Jun-04 | It's possible if that's what your asking and practical if you're in a cash pinch and/or want to move gear between the car and home. A house subwoofer would be the easy way to do it. |
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TheMattMan Unregistered guest | Yea i am looking to save as much money as possible so do you think that i could just get car subs and then a home audio amp for my house and a car amp in the car so i could move them? or should i modify a car amp to work in my house and maybe get two amps or move the whole system? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 457 Registered: Jun-04 | Depends on what you want to do if you want a separate amp for car and home or not. If you're on the cheep and have some wiring skill then do the mod above. If you want separate amps then watch out because not all house amps can push a 4 ohm car speaker so a dual voice coil sub would be a good choice for wiring options. |
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Champ Unregistered guest | I am currently looking at the a Astro 70a linear power supply which is like 300+ dollars. I have some spare audio laying around. Plus I would like to use this for future testing of any audio I buy. I am going to wire up my car audio head unit 2 JL 1000/1 amp and a JL13w7 sub, along with a Xtant 604 amp with 4 sets of MB Qsd components. Basically the thats 2000 watts rms to the sub. and 150 x4 to the for components which is 600 wats rms. the fuse used for the xtant amp is 120 amps. so probably around 1800-2600 watts in the car audio home system. I want to know is... You think 70Amp with 57amp continuous linear power supply will do fine? I was wondering if I should use the ATX PC power supply setup your using since its alternativly cheaper? If possible how many amps would I need? basically what is the biggest computer power supply on the market i can use and whould i beable to wire 3 or more units together? thanks |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 458 Registered: Jun-04 | You won't want to use a linear power supply. A switcher is more efficient and can produce more current in a smaller space. Not to mention they weigh many pounds less. If you're running heavy gear like that you may be better off doing the moded ATX because you can scale it to any size. If you use the ATX PSU's on 220 volts you can scale it to about 2000 watts RMS or so on a 15 amp house fuse at the 220 volts. You can only do half that on 110-120 volts. (NOTE: My numbers are true power not peak power or the amp). If you run higher power then that you will need a dedicated branch circuit from the panel if you do run a line run a 220 line for the PSUs then you can scale to over 4000 watts RMS or 8000 watts peak for amps (on a 220 volt @ 30 amp circuit). You just wire as many ATX PSUs together in parallel that you need to meet your current requirement. Get as heavy of a PSU that you can find. The big 400-500 watt PSU's put out about 25-30 amps at +12 volts. Wholesale you can get them for about $50-60 new for a quality one with thermally controlled fan. Heavier the PSU the less of them you will need, reducing the overall cost. You will want to make a custom case for the supplies to be housed in. I use an old aluminium 4U rack mount amp case that was gutted of the old components. |
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Champ Unregistered guest | Thanks for the fast reply. It appears that the Astron brand only makes as big as 35amp switchable power supplies, but the linears go as high as 70amps. Theres a guy locally selling the 70 amp linear astron for $150, which is rather cheap but you said to stay away... So i figured ill try to go the PSU route. I have a bunch of old desk tops with power supplies that may or may not be worthy. I think im gonna pick up 2 550 watt ATX PowerSupplyUnits, which will run me about 150 or so. Does it matter on the brand? or if it says its 12-volt? Do you recommend a particular brand? Also when they are spliced together do both units have to be plugged into the wall or just one? I might do 2 or 3 250 watt ones. since they are way cheaper. can differnt sized power supplies be mixed? ie 500 and 250 watts. if so which should be pluged into the wall? Sorry for all the quesitons about the ATX PSU's but I just have one more. Can an amp pull too much power to blow a power supply? Example...If I have a 250 watt ATX Psu, and randomly hooked up 10 1000 watt RMS amps to it, not that i would do that, but will the power supply not let more than it can handle through, or will the power supply fail and burn op or catch on fire? Thanks |
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TheMattMan Unregistered guest | I decided i am only gonna hook it up in my house for now. so would i still need a dual voice coil? Because i found a really good deal on a Pyrimid woffer but it has a single voice coil. And what do i need to do when im looking for an amp? I dont really have very mutch wiring experiance so is there a really easy way to convert a car amp to run off a outlet or whould i need to get a house amp. |
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READ THE THREAD! Unregistered guest | "is there a really easy way to convert a car amp to run off a outlet or whould i need to get a house amp." DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THAT HAS BEEN ANSKED AND THE ANSWER HAS BEEN GIVEN? OR ON THIS THREAD: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/4033.html PEOPLE READ THE THREAD BEFORE YOU ASK THE SAME QUESTION A MILLION TIMES! IT ALLREADY HAS AN ANSWER! |
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TheMattMan Unregistered guest | Hey i dont know why you care that much if i ask the same question because there are like 500 entries on this thread and im not going to read all of them to find the one that has the same sitiuation as i do. |
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weedy222 Unregistered guest | FryGuy, I'm still struggling with my power supply and was going back and reading the posts and came across one where the amp would turn on and then off you said "If you under power an amp it will just force the power supply into over-current protection mode and the AMP will die until the over-current condition is removed" Could this be my problem because because I'm able to use the +5 v to power a few LED's no problem (only a couple of mA's)? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 462 Registered: Jun-04 | When a PSU goes in over-current mode it kills all the output power at once, because its made for a computer and any power rail to a seperate device could cause damage to somthing else. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 463 Registered: Jun-04 | Sorry for the late response, I got computer problems and straped for cash with christmas and all. |
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Unregistered guest | I got a Vr 400 walmart brand and it's small well i think my friend fryed it and instead of just putting it back in my car i wanted to put it in my house i know i need somthing but i have no cash and i just wanted to know the cheapest way to power it b/c if it does still work i really don't want to fry it i could really us some help so if u can help e-mail me at Biohazard220@hotmail.com |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 485 Registered: Jun-04 | If it's just a single quick test, wire it to your car battery and use an old speaker to test it (tape the other speaker wires from shorting or it will be fryed (no phun intended)). |
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Anonymous | I have an old Sony home audio receiver (STR-AV-970) that has RCA outputs for a center speaker amp. Anyone have a low cost amp solution to drive my center speaker (rated at 120W, 85-50kHz range, and 8 ohm impedance)? I was thinking of using a car amp, but after reading through some of the responses on this page, not sure if this is the best/easiest/most cost effective idea. Thanks all. |
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Ben Reeves Unregistered guest | Anyone looking for a cheap power supply get one of ebay here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42020%26item%3D67340726 01%26 they are only $0.99 for 400Watts, they also do a 700Watt supply |
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Unregistered guest | hello im trying to wire a sub, speakers and amp into my dvd player but how do i power it all and how do i wire it all up please email me at mettykicksarse@hotmail.com , i would be very very grateful if sum 1 could answer this qustion |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 510 Registered: Jun-04 | Anonymous, get a small mono house amp for that use, that's your best and easy solution. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 511 Registered: Jun-04 | metty59, what's your setup you have? If it's with a car amp you would be better off getting a real stereo for a permanent setup. Though it can be done with a car amp but it's fairly complicated to do. You'll need the amp and speaker's setup as usual and a power supply to power it. The volume will be controlled with either a mixer or a simple dual-ganged audio potentiometer. Get the sounds of how complicated it gets, sure you still want to do it? If so i can answer your questions. |
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Unregistered guest | hello fryguy i now have a car cd player,speakers and sub how do i power it and plug it all in email asap at mettykicksarse@hotmail.com thanks |
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Silver Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 188 Registered: Sep-04 | man these wops in here like rum a bum bum, Stop that, drop that, give me that mic Rough me, cuff me, read me my rights No work higher, born and bred, black boots, billy clubs on my head Fu you, fu me, fu that shig Legalize freedom celebrate gods gift It's the illusion of ownership, It's take what you can get The banks are the loan sharks and everyone's in debt And if you get ahead how quickly you forget You're hanging from a burning rope without a safety net They tax you when you sell They tax you when you buy They take half when you live Then they take half when you die These are the lies that they are stating as facts I can see the wires of the levitating act kottonmouth kings fer ever, www.bagek.tk www.thebottlebuddy.com How very well observed. These systems everyones building - It all sounds very clever. I suspect there is a lot of power and a lot of bass. Has anyone tried listening to classical music through them, yet? |
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Silver Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 189 Registered: Sep-04 | " is possible to hook up a car amp in your house hold take an adepter and cut off the tip splice so you have to wires and wire to the amp and a peice of wire for a ground so so fring your amp i did this at my friends house to his two 12's with an 800 watt amp and they pound like they did in the car but he crashed it. it will work!!!" I laughed pretty hard and then some when I saw his username: 'only 16 but know what he's doing' I sincerely hope he lives to see 17. I can't wait to see what he'll try next. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 522 Registered: Jun-04 | I run against the norm, and give information on a mod that can be moderately dangerous to someone with no electrical knowledge. I have had some responses that I shouldn't give this knowledge away because it can pose a small hazard from the capacitors and line voltages in the PSU. But I feel that I should share how I have done this mod, to others that have that knowledge and want to try something out. I have electronics experience and have designed circuits from scratch. I know that most people that want to use this mod may not have that experience that I have. In explaining the mod I've made sure that it's a clear as possible. I know that there would be some that would want to do it that don't have a lot of the knowledge that's required to understand it. I just hope that they will have some common sense with electricity and not hurt themselves. I will be releasing a full detailed document on this mod, step for step with pictures in the future. I will include a FAQ section and common problems that people have had and the solutions. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 523 Registered: Jun-04 | Varney, I have listened to classical on this setup before and in my opinion it sounds good. But if you have a discriminating ear, I doubt you'll be truly happy with the dynamic range and imaging clarity that cheep car audio can achieve. Everyone's ear and tastes are different and it's very subjective so I'm not going to make any claims, for fear of flames of false accusations. |
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Silver Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 192 Registered: Sep-04 | Thankyou for an honest answer, FryGuy. From that I can get a realistic picture of what to expect from a home made system built out of car-audio parts, along with I hear when I visit my local auto store. You may already know I am less critical of your intent and spirit of adventure than I am of the predicted result. V |
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Anonymous | wat is the cheapest way to make a car amp work in the house?? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 534 Registered: Jun-04 | Computer ATX power suplies moded, but it's not for everyone. I would only do it if you have experience of electricity and wiring. |
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bigman Unregistered guest | is there a way to run it dirrect from ac like i thought it said towwards the top of this whole thing its still me but i got a name now |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 541 Registered: Jun-04 | You need an voltage converter, like an ATX PSU (etc) to get the 12 volts to run the amp. |
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Anonymous | how do i bridge an amp to use two amps together |
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Anonymous | if i were to get a car head unit would one computer power supply be enough to power it? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 544 Registered: Jun-04 | Bridging two AMPs together requires an AMP that can do that. (I have done it with AMPs that were not made for it, but I wouldn't attempt it if the AMPs are any good to you.). So assume it can't be done. A head unit can be easily powered from a single ATX PSU, check the specs of the head unit first to be sure it will power the head unit properly to avoid problems. If the power supply can deliver higher current (in amps) then the head unit specs, your fine. |
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ghettoboy Unregistered guest | can i hook a 300 watt amp to a 12inch 150wattdual voice coil there a panasonic sterio |
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Unregistered guest | Alright I've got a Rockford Fosgate 301M Mono Sub Amp. Also I've got a Rockford Fosgate HE2 12" DVC Sub. I'll know how to hook it all up using a AC to DC converter, putting out 13.8 volts at 10-20amps. But what I also want to do is put my Pioneer CD/Car Stereo to use and also powering that. Requirements are the exact same if I'm correct right? Just a yes or no would do, and what about the remaining cables for the car stereo such as ACC and more? Please lemme know, my email is sirsoapmaister@sbcglobal.net |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 559 Registered: Jun-04 | ghettoboy,Yes, depends on the impedance and how you wire it to the amp. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 560 Registered: Jun-04 | sirsoapmaister, The voltage is the same just be sure thst you can power the amp and the head unit properly (have enough current from the power supply/supplies). Tie the bat and the ACC wire together and attach to the +12 rail. You can place the ACC on a switch to save power when its not used (The PSU needs to remain on to hold the time). Hope that answers your question fully. |
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Unregistered guest | How do you hookup a car amp to house stereo or can you even do that. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 564 Registered: Jun-04 | You can if you use a speaker level to RCA level converter, some amps already have the speaker level inputs so a converted shouldn't be necessary. I recommend that you read your booklet on the amp to be sure you don't exceed the voltage/power level on the speaker level input. |
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weedy222 Unregistered guest | I bought a new PS and finally got my setup to work. It works great while it is playing a song but sometimes between songs the sub will crackle for a little bit until the next song is played. Any ideas what could be the cause? Thanks for all your help fryguy. |
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Unregistered guest | hello everyone i have a pretty nice system in my truck two pioneer premiere 1000 wat 12's diamond audio speakers throught 6x9's in front 6.5's in rear and a ten inch monitor and playstation 2. got it all hooked up the other night blah blah blah worked great well i was driving and put on a bass test and had it going u know full blast no problem then my god damn door speakers went out but subs were still going strong so got out went into work worked for 8 hours got out turn the key and boom they were back on just fine again and subs so days went by well went out to eat after work yesterday with my co workers i get back out into my truck same thing before dinner they were goin strong sounding great now they are out and been almost 12 hours and they havent gone back on!!! they are not hooked up to the amp just hooked up to the reciver (cd deck) and one thing its been raning like hell and both days it went out it was raning like crazy so i dunno if its moisture or what of it two wires came undone or what someone please give me your idea an no they arent blown cause they are rated for 600 wats and my cd deck only puts out like 150 per channel so yea, i just want to know if a wire coming undone on one of the speakers would do that make all four go out so i have to take my door pannels off and investigate which isnt any fun so someone please tell me what you think |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 582 Registered: Jun-04 | I'm not sure whats going on there weedy222. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 583 Registered: Jun-04 | tyler123213213, Could be corrosion especially if you live near the ocean like me. Salt spray will do serious damage in no time. Sounds like its going to be a few hours ripping the door panels off and testing the wires. No other way to be sure other then testing them end to end with an ohm meter. |
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Unregistered guest | Can I connect a sub to a regular 2 speaker stereo?? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 586 Registered: Jun-04 | You can with just about any system, in what setup did you have in mind? |
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tyler123213213 Unregistered guest | well guys just to answer my own question incase any of you all have the same problem i took off the drivers side door pannel checked all connections turned on the truck with the 6x9 in my hand and low and behold they all worked again the speaker was grounding out because of the screws into the door frame so i just wrapped them in electrical tape and bam works like a charm an sounds great again never ever heard of such a thing unbeliveable |
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Anonymous | Ive been messing around with this subject also and I just thought Id chime in with my results. I had an old car audio equalizer given to me by a friend a while back and I have a Pro Dynamics TX1200(http://www.prodynamicsusa.com/txspecs.htm). And I got curious so I pulled it out of storage and took a transformer from some unknown appliance(probably a telephone base). I really dont know what it was, I just collect transformers and power supplies from broken things over the years. But anyways. I ran a headphone to RCA cable from my heaphone out jack on the computer to the RCA input on the EQ and wired the transformer/powersupply/adaptor to the + and - on the EQ and got it running so I connected the speakers to the EQ, probably only getting 50 watts, and it worked just fine. I could put whatever I wanted to on the EQ seeing how its got RCA inputs and nearly anything now has RCA outputs. Worked quite well with the PS2. Though I did get that to work, I havent connected a transformer/powersupply/adaptor to my car audio amp yet. But I have 12v adaptors and Im just curious about wether or not any of you have tried it? I havent had the chance to read through everything yet(you have to admit it is a bit lenghty). But thats what Ive done so far. Just thought Id throw it out there for you guys. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 588 Registered: Jun-04 | Anonymous, I wish powering an amp was so easy as using a small wall transformer. The fact is that they cant provide the power necesary (volts * Amps = Power). True they can provide the proper voltage but they can't provide the current (Amps) to push the load (Power). |
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Anonymous | Ahhhh yes, I didnt even think about the amps. I should have remembered that. I have a Mercury Sable power seat as a desk chair, I use one of those portable air pumps/rechareable 12v power sources to adjust it when I want to. I thougth the same thing when I got it. Wasnt thinking right and was anxious to try it out and I just spliced it to a transformer and was like "WTF......arrrrhhg, duh". You'd think I would have remembered that this time. But hey that could be another possible source of power. Just keep the thing constantly charging while you run the amp off of it. My dad used to do that when he ran some of his scanners and radios from his truck in the house. He'd just leave it plugged in all the time. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 593 Registered: Jun-04 | You can use a simple battery and charger setup for short temporary use. I don't recommend it as a long term powering option. I got a document above on how to use an ATX computer power supply to power an amp. That would be a better long term power source. Smaller, more efficient and lighter too. |
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young old guy Unregistered guest | well, I will reply, but I have not tried any solution yet. I just bought new 4 r50 polks n was contemplating what to buy for a sub woofer. Subwoofers do not have to be matched with the set of speakers u buy. My son has 3 12 inch woofer speakers in his subwoofers for his vehicle and does not want them any more. I am trying to figure out what to do with them. A DC power supply seems unreasonable in price. I have thought about using control transformers to build, however their voltages do not correspond to the voltage that i would need if i rectified and used a capacitor to buffer the output. The best option seems to be to replace the amplifier and make sure that it is impeadanced matched to the speakers. The other option I am considering is buck or boosting the tranformer primary to convert the output transformer to a utilization voltage, rectifying and buffering to 14 V DC. I am still thinkin bout it. However the best option may be to buy a real subwoofer. My sons 3 12 inchers may be to much for me. What do you think? guess i m gettin old |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 596 Registered: Jun-04 | If you have a small/med sized room and your a modest type fellow, I would say its massive over kill. You'll be happier with a real sub woofer matched to your satellite speakers. If they are small book shelf speakers a 8-10" sub will suffice. If they are larger higher powered then you may want a larger sub to complement them for the proper low fill. If you get too large of a sub it will over power the satellite speakers washing out the rest of the sound. The young fellas like massively over powered bass (except me), where generally older mature people want a balanced, crisp, and clear sound. Its a personal preference and without having your system wired up along side the sub its can be a hit or miss situation. |
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New member Username: GrifPost Number: 1 Registered: Feb-05 | hello, i was wondering if i can hook up my JVC CAR amp to my house amp....like this, "house amp to car amp to subwoofers" is there any ways of doing this? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 606 Registered: Jun-04 | Use the speaker level inputs on the amp or you can get a speaker lever to RCA level converter. Its just a basic resistor voltage divider network. Google "voltage divider" and you can go to radio shack and grab a few resistors to make one for only a few bucks. The input impedance (resistance)of a car amp is usually around 47k ohms or higher. This is because you don't want to present a load on the head units RCA outputs. This also is good because with the voltage divider you don't need to use large power resistors, half watt resistors will do fine. I would still watch that the input resistance to the voltage divider isn't too low that it will cause the resistors to over heat. |
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Unregistered guest | Hi i have a rockford bd1000 amp. I have no idea about ohms and so on. I blew my reciever and i need to power 2 floorstanging jbl speakers temperarily. If i used a y cable to hook up a portable cd player, wired the speakers to the amp and had a car battery for power would it work? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 607 Registered: Jun-04 | Yes. |
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Unregistered guest | Hey i woundering if there was any way to hook up my car stereo inside.... I have a sony cd player and 2 220w 6x9 and 2 1000w subs with a 900w and 300w amps My car is smash up so i need to put my stereo some where... can any on HELP ME??? |
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123457890- Unregistered guest | i have a old 64 power power cored will that work |
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Unregistered guest | you'll need a 12volt power supply that'll put out about 50-70 amps... it can be done... good luck! |
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weedy222 Unregistered guest | Fryguy I have further investigated into the weird thumping noise my sub is making. The noise starts after it is on for a couple of minutes and no other signal is going to the sub. And the thumping gets louder when the amp's output level is turned up. Could it be possible that the RCA cable from the receiver to the car amp is picking up some AC current interference? Have you ever experienced this problem? I am using a cheaper shielded cable now, do you think upgrading the RCA cable would fix the problem? Right now I have the car amp and PS sitting on one of the shelves in the tv stand, should I relocate them? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 610 Registered: Jun-04 | Could be the poor cables or ground loop feed back. Disconnect the audio source, if it still makes the noise then its something else. Most likely it's noise from the audio source having off potential grounds introducing the noise. A good active or passive ground-loop isolator will fix the problem. |
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germz24 Unregistered guest | can a mirowave power supply be used to power a mono sub car amp |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 613 Registered: Jun-04 | NO! They are a step-up transformer typically around (6KV) six thousand volts. They do have a low voltage output around 6 volts but that's useless for this application. |
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New member Username: OldnickYuma, AZ USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Mar-05 | Just a thought...I haven't messed with innards of audio for a while but remember that "leaky" capacitors can do a number on speakers. The dielectric in the cap reaches a critical voltage and dumps its charge into the circuit. A rough explanation. Nor do I remember if it was power supply or audio output. Added note: Culture shock on my part, a 1 farad capacitor at Walmart! $60! Even at low voltages incredible! {8~) oldnick |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 625 Registered: Jun-04 | What, a 1 farad capacitor at walmart? I've got to see a URL to that! |
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Unregistered guest | FryGuy, You seem to know what your talking about when it comes to this stuff... I have a quick question. I have a 2 Channal Alpine Amp hooked into my car subs. My side speakers are not powered (only by my alpine headunit). I just recently recieved from a friend a JL Audio Monoblock Amp, and I was wondering if I could use the Mono Amp for my subs and the 2 channel for my 4 speakers. If you could help me with this i would appreciate it. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 626 Registered: Jun-04 | You sure can do that. You'll just have to watch that the amp is switched to stereo mode and that you wire them up correctly for stereo. With that said you'll also need to be sure that your door speakers can handle the power fed to them. |
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New member Username: OldnickYuma, AZ USA Post Number: 5 Registered: Mar-05 | "Man does not live by URLs alone"...or do they?8) Those caps at Walmart do not sit very long. I couldn't find them at the store again, nor track them through Walmart on line. But, I did see 2-2.9 farads for sale at a couple of site searches, cheap too considering. |
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Unregistered guest | I am hooking up a spare car amplifier and some speakers to an AC power source using an ATX power supply. I snipped all the wires except the yellow +12v, black gnd, and green ps_on wires. I stripped/joined 6 of the +12v wires together and hooked them to the power connector on the amp. I did the same with 6 of the ground wires and connected those to the ground on the amp. I connected the green ps_on wire to a ground wire. I believe I am supposed to use an additional +12v in place of remote signal (as there is no head unit), but it's not powering up. The power supply fans spin up for about two seconds and stop. I am just wondering, does it seem like the power supply has managed to stop working properly? and, is the remote turn-on signal +12v or is it something else? thanks |
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Unregistered guest | nevermind. It was a bad power supply, which surprises me because I ran a computer with it not even two weeks ago. Oh well, I switched the power supply and now it's working wonderfully. Thanks FryGuy for your documents and such. I could have survived without them, but they were a great quick-reference to check against in doing my project to use car audio components as my computer speaker system. |
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